In the early 1980s, then-PCC President, the late Ralph G Rogers Jr., several of his officers (including Bryan Bowles, the late Vernice Wineera, Magi Keil) and I went to an early-morning meeting at the Honolulu airport. After, President Rodgers said let’s go eat before we go back to Laie, and asked if I knew a good place nearby.
I suggested the well-known Kelly’s Drive-in, which had been a famous 24-hour eatery for many years (but is no longer there). We were all enjoying breakfast, except for a few flies that were buzzing around, which prompted me to tell the following story:
The fly test
In early 1967 I was a Latter-day Saint missionary in Sāmata, Savaii, with the late Elder Tu’ifao Tufuga, who had been an original PCC employee and used to enchant me with his stories of the early days.
One of the prominent old chiefs in Sāmata had invited us to his fale to eat breakfast with him and teach one of his non-member friends. His sons, who were famous for their fishing and hunting skills, had caught several large, 6-foot pusi (moray eels) and he served us a delicious sua pusi (eel filets with coconut milk stew) plus, as was the custom, he also shared their catch with the village.
I admit, I had never eaten eel and didn’t expect to be much of a fan, but the dish was surprisingly tasty and we ate all of it, not knowing when we might eat again . The old chief noticed, however, that his non-member friend was not eating any, and asked him why. The friend replied (paraphrasing), since no flies had landed on the eel, he suspected it might be spoiled.
We finished our meal and lesson, said our thanks and farewell speeches, and went about the rest of our day proselyting, returning late that afternoon surprised to see a large flatbed truck parked in front of the Sāmata chapel with about 20 people on it. This was very unusual because, in those days, few private vehicles traveled on the road, especially at that time of afternoon.
We asked where were they going and were told they were all being taken to the distant hospital with food poisoning. Apparently, they had all gotten sick after eating pieces of the eel that morning.
Someone asked shouldn’t we go too? Didn’t we also eat some of the eel? We said yes, but quoting the New Testament scripture about the Saviorʻs disciples being protected from poisonous things, we had not felt sick or any reaction to the spoiled eel dish at all.
P.S., Magi Keil confirmed that was true about flies that long-ago morning at Kelly’s Drive-in — but I still fanned them away from my breakfast. Oh, and Iʻve never eaten eel again.
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